Despite being one of the first third-party games to be confirmed for the console, the promised Switch version of Steep has been subject to an unfortunate amount of doubt over the last year or so. Now, it seems that the game has been well and truly cancelled.

Replying to a Twitter user who asked for any news on the Switch port supposedly in the works, the official Steep account responded with news that they likely didn't want to hear.

Hey @RJISAGAMER! We are wholly dedicated to supporting the live game, and made the decision to stop Steep development on the Nintendo Switch platform to focus on bringing new live content and challenges to Steep players instead. We’ll have more exciting news to share soon.— Steep (@Steep_Game) August 9, 2018

As you can see, Ubisoft has shifted its efforts towards making the Live Seasons in the game as strong as it can be - a feature that is naturally present in the already existing PS4 and Xbox One versions. In October last year, the game's director Arnaud Ragot reaffirmed Ubisoft's commitment to the cause, although we weren't entirely convinced that the project would make it even then. Sadly, it appears we were right to be dubious.

Were you hoping to play Steep on your Switch? Let us know if you're upset by this news in the comments below.

Ryan’s that annoying kind of guy in multiplayer games - you know the one, the kind of person that throws a temper tantrum if he can’t be Yoshi in Mario Kart or gets stuck with the controller with the dodgy button. Yeah, that kind.

Third-party support matters, and the Switch isn't getting any of it. Nintendo isn't even going to get this game. Nintendo could've had this game and many, many others, like Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter: World, Resident Evil 2, Shemue III, Borderlands 3, a decent port or even definitive edition of DOOM, etc. if they actually competed for your hard-earned money with a competent platform.

The fact that people are actually "happy" about this, says a lot about the ridiculous rationalization of defending the lack of major third-party support, the most important thing for a platform. Instead of speaking out against Nintendo for delivering a inferior product, it's the fault of the developers of course. Instead of admitting you bought into something that didn't deliver, people keep on rationalizing, defending something which is absolutely indefensible. Utter, utter nonsense.

Defending, or even worshiping a corporation and it's piece of plastic (or cardboard lol)...how sad is that? If you didn't already realize, Nintendo doesn't give a damn about gaming and gamers. All they have done is broke promises and exploit consumers - generation after generation, asking people to pay way too much money for underpowered hardware and it's mandatory accessories, among other shady practices.

Shame, as I thought the game looked quite interesting when I saw it at E3 2016. But then shortly thereafter we learned that snowboarding and gliding down snowy mountaintops was only a fraction of what you could do in Breath of the Wild. I still would have kept this game on my radar if it made its way to Switch, though.

@EightBitMan This is blatantly not true. You can't tell me a console supported by Bethesda with iconic shooters and Skyrim, Ubisoft with its Mario game and South Park games, and Square with its recent exclusive Octopath Traveler has NO third party support.

You can't just push aside this support just to fit your argument. The Switch HAS support. Way more support than past consoles, especially the Wii U. Stop ignoring what we DO get.

Oh well, wasn't going to buy it anyway. These types of games are uninspired and nothing more than a cheap cash-grab marketed to people desperate to play anything related to [insert sport/activity here].

@GrailUK "We're thrilled to announced that, just like with Steep, we are stopping production on Switch entirely! We believe that this offers our fans the greatest number of options. We would like to invite fans to keep playing anywhere, anytime inside the living room. This was all made possible because of our excellent relationship with Nintendo, one that rivals the previously unprecedented relationship they have with EA."

Thought it was funny how they said "more" exciting news. As though this is exciting.@sanderev Ubisoft gave us Rayman Legends and Mario + Rabbids on Switch, I hardly see them as another EA. And it's not like they're gonna stop supporting the Switch, it's just this game. It's a shame, but it's not the end of the world, the Switch, or Ubisoft support.

@TrendanBrendan Ubisoft only releases "easy money" games to the Switch. Games that will sell a lot and are really simple to make and / or port.

Like: Just Dance, Starlink or ports of old games. The Mario & Rabbids game was made with Nintendo money.

EA does exactly the same, and since they only have an engine for Fifa (which they took from the old PS3 version), they aren't releasing any other games on the Switch.

The reason WHY Steep isn't ported to the Switch is simply because it would take a lot of effort (like Panic Button puts into their ports) for the game to run decent on the Switch. And this kind of effort costs a lot more money than porting a game that's 5+ years old. And Starlink, yeah, the Star Fox integration is there to - again - get some additional cash from Nintendo to spend on the development.

Not surprised... This game is graphically intense and honestly doesn't feel very well optimized even on a more recent PC. Feels like they designed it to be future proof for 2-3 years after launch in terms of graphics quality.

@Stocksy Yeah honestly I was really disappointed with Steep when I got it for my Xbox One way back when it released. I was expecting a deep snowboarding/skiing experience and instead I got one of the weakest snowboarding/skiing games I ever played. The damage mechanic seemed to ruin it and the mountain ranges just felt very empty. It was like they put no effort into the open world to make any parts of the mountains feel distinctive or memorable or particularly fun. They also went for a jack of all trades sort of thing with the wingsuit and paragliding stuff, which was kinda fun at first but it wasn't why I bought the game. Honestly, if it was a more focused skiing/snowboarding game it would have been a lot better.

@EightBitManI don't think the problem is that the hardware is inferior. I mean, it is, compared to PS4 and XB1, but while it is the least powerful current-gen home platform, it is, at the same time, the most powerful portable game platform.

I think that the problem is more related to Nintendo having cornered itself into a family-friendly type of market share since the Wii days, an image that it has a lot of troubles to get rid of. I mean, when companies like 2K Games think people are excited for games like "Carnival Games", the problem is CLEARLY not one of hardware specs, but of perception. Companies are still seeing the Switch as "the new product from those guys who made the Wii".

I''m not surprised that Steep got cancelled. I wanted to get it, thought it would be a nice game (not a stellar one, granted, but fun nonetheless), but it seems that Ubisoft still think that the Switch is only good for Rayman and smaller productions. Like what most other big publishers (EA, Activision, to name two) seem to think as well.

What the Switch needs, is a AAA production rated MA, that sells MILLIONS, to make companies notice. I can guarantee you that if Rockstar create a GTA collection of some sort, and that it sells by the truckload (which it would), then big companies will start noticing and MAYBE, you'll see a change of attitude.

@EightBitMan I think you make a mistake on a lot of fronts. What do you mean nu inferior? Your post is only an example of an subjective description. Yes, sony and microsoft make systems that are more powerful than the systems of nintendo, but does that make them superior? I don't think so. The nintendo switch sales numbers are great and yes, i dislike LABO too, but that doesn't mean there is no audience for it. I get the feeling you act like a fanboy. "Third party support is essential". To which i must ask; "for what?" Maybe the majority of the nintendo consumers mostly play first party games like mario and zelda, which aren't availablr to other platforms. That could be one reason to go for nintendl instead of sony or microsoft. I personally like to be able ro bring my systems with me wherever i go. That could be another wish fulfilled by nintendo and not accessible by sony or microsoft consumers. Don't get me wrong, i'm not into anything playstation or xbox, but that doesn't mean those systems are inferior or even bad. You should think twice before saying something stupid like that because you're embarrassing yourself. Let people like whatever they like, and stop arguing about it.

I don't give a f about Steep, but this statement pisses me off! It's basically the same as with Dragon Quest for example: "Hey SE, when will you show DQ for Switch?""Switch?! No no no, first we need to release it in the west, but (basically) only for PS4. And then, if we have some spare time left, we can continue tonwork on the Switch version, so you can get it around 2020-2022."🙄

It’s unlikely to happen because neither Nintendo nor the big industry players see “think that the problem is more related to Nintendo having cornered itself into a family-friendly type of market share since the Wii days, an image that it has a lot of troubles to get rid of” as a problem. Nintendo can’t see any point in offering a fourth PC variant playing the same games and the industry has no interest in that whatsoever. As far as Western AAA games go it will always be feeding on scraps. But that isn’t a mistake, it’s by design.

Maybe you're right. Maybe Nintendo itself doesn't want to get rid of that image. But I still feel that it's a mistake. It wouldn't be if the Switch was a pure home-based system, but it being a portable as well, and pretty much the only one seriously considered for gamers right now (3DS is on its last legs and Vita is dead since awhile), it can't survive on its usual exclusives alone. Well, it can, but there comes a point where people want to play other AAA productions, and the fact is that launhing one every 4 to 6 months isn't going to cut it for many. Some indies are great too (and thank god for them otherwise the system would be a wasteland), but you can't live on these alone (ask the Vita about it).

And with the ton of shovelware about to hit the platform in the future, I'm truly wondering where the Switch is heading... really...

I fail to see what anything political has to do with this news. You'd think that some people in this day and age would have better sense to adhere to the subject matter at hand versus turning a comment section into a political mudslinging trollfest.

@Stocksy + 1 on it being the best system I’ve owned since the 80s. It appears some ppl are missing the meta-point here - Nintendo didn’t only get their mojo back, they captured lightening in a bottle AGAIN (the Wii was original and fun, I heard Nintendo sold a few of them...)

I don’t care about shovelware. Don’t buy it then, solved! I don’t care that all games are not cross platform. My backlog like many others here is already too long!

Nintendo delivered a game changer with the Switch. Anyone who plays in handheld mode and says the form and function sucks is literally in denial. And anyone that says Nintendo needs more support...why? Are there not enough games to play of different varieties?Do you only play sports titles and if so why buy a Switch? I never rant like this but holy **** the ******* holy grail of video game systems could descend from the sky and some ppl would still find a reason to complain!

As i understand it, Ubisoft has more than enough stuff coming to the Switch... A 2016 port of a poor quality game isn't a big loss. In fact it isn't even a loss.

As for support...

Dragon ball FightersZ
Monster Hunter GU (dunno how i feel about this but its there)
Okami HD
Octopath Traveller
Dark Souls remastered
Ubisoft also announced two other games for the switch yesterday to drop THIS YEAR and they look like JRPGS.

I'd be very worried and annoyed if it was Dark Souls remastered.

But its an unknown unsuccessful IP from a developer that already has a strong showing on the Switch.

Their exclusive has sold gangbusters, they just yesterday announced two new games for the switch and the game they ditched is burning on PS4 and XBOX.

To stay on topic, this makes a whole lot of sense to me. Here's my unsolicited take: This game did not live up to anyone's expectations on other platforms, so why go forward with a port on a system where the experience will be slightly downgraded due to the nature of the hardware, and to an installed base with minimal interest? Companies need to be able to react at the slightest whiff of poor performance of a title, especially a company the size of Ubi. This has nothing to do with Nintendo, nothing to do with the hardware, and almost everything to do with smart bidness, resource management coupled with good industry analysis. PERSONALLY, I would expect further and robust support from Ubisoft like we've seen on Mario + Rabbids, and like we will see from Starlink(fox).

@Ryu_Niiyama You're not missing much. It's a really good quality snowboard game wrapped with some really weird designs (open world is such a poor choice. You can only go in one direction: Down. The rest is fast traveling. You know, like most Ubi games.

TBH I liked it, I liked messing with it....the Pyeong Chang expansion lasts about an hour or two and is much more fun than the main game IMO. It's For Honor with snow and no swords. I'm happy to have it but wouldn't recommend it overwhelmingly and I don't know what kind of wacky tobacky they were smoking when they decided it would be a good fit for Switch in the first place.

@EightBitMan That's a mighty high trading price for such an irrelevant company on a perpetual course for failure..... Nintendo is irrelevant to you. Not to tens of millions of people who gladly purchase their products.

As for Cyberpunk we don't even know if PS4 is getting that. It has no release window.

@Knuckles-Fajita Dont' be silly, development on DQXI for Switch will keep doing better and better the closer we get to PS4 release day. Why, I think by 9/5 it will suddenly be "coming along extremely well, please stay tuned" and by 10/1 "will have exciting news to share in the coming days!"

@EightBitMan lol all of these links are from before the Switch dropped... Their all dated from Jan 2017 and before 😂😂😂... The desperation is real...

If your going to talk doo doo, at least make it relevant to the year we are in. None of what you just said is relevant in 2018 1.5 years after the Nintendo Switch.

I know you really hope that Nintendo fail, i know you you hate that the Switch is a success, i actually have a friend who is exactly like you, he wishes the same. He wants to play Nintendo games legally on his PC... (He wants to support Nintendo, but not their hardware)... Annoying but thats people, nearly 8 billion of us so its hard to see eye to eye.

I'll be honest with you bro, this forum isn't really for you. You should move on.

To be fair to these guys, they probably made a rational judgement call, based on the lack of hype for the port, and decided they wouldn't get their money back. The Wii U still has a lot of western and even Japanese devs a little gunshy about the Switch. But, as more games like Octopath succeed, they'll realize there's a good market for the right kind of games. Not to mention, once the Switch hits critical mass, it'll be silly to ignore its install-base.

@EightBitMan Okay, okay troll. We get it, you bought a few Ninty systems and are still pissed they didn't give you a handy. There are other websites that probably discuss your interests. Do you really have nothing better to do with your time than troll every article on this site? Pathetic really. Go to Push Square and worship your Sony gods.

Way to piss me off Ubisoft. Provide fake Switch gameplay footage for Nintendo to show at their big Switch event, and then cancel that game for no real reason. You essentially advertised a game that only exists on rival platforms, and that's not going to bode well with me. I was actually considering buying Starlink, but now I don't think I should support this company.

@EightBitMan
So you cite evidence of Nintendo being "irrelevant" by linking years-old speculative "doom" videos from a single Youtuber, whose speculation have all turned out false given the Switch's current success?

It doesn't matter how much you say it; none of what you say is or will be true.

It’s the portable factor that stops the lack of Western AAA support being a serious issue IMHO. Switch isn’t a grand idea like the Wiis motion controls or the DS. It’s aiming at a variety of niches-Nintendo loyalists, Vita owners, the Japanese market, the wider market that is interested in Nintendo games without being a hardcore fan, and families. Included in that last one is trying to discover if any of the Wii ‘Blue Ocean’ audience is still interested in the age of mobile phone gaming.

All these niches aren’t especially well catered for elsewhere. The market segment that is served to the point of saturation is the Western AAA market. Two PS4s, two XB1s and the PC. There’s nothing to be gained from trying to compete on those grounds. If some Western AAA support comes along it certainly won’t do any harm, I’d love to see one of the big publishers take a punt on a Switch version of e.g. next years COD. But then why would they?

The effort needed to make a Switch version is only worth it if enough people are interested that wouldn’t buy it on another system. If they’d buy a Switch version instead of a PS4 copy it’s just cannibalising existing sales, yet the Switch version would almost certainly cost more to develop.

Switch is born of two realisations-1. Nintendo have missed their chance to compete with Sony, MS and the PC. Better to come up with something that can complement those other systems. 2. They can’t support two systems and the one they do have needs to be portable because their portables always sell better. Western AAA support hasn’t been targeted and if Switch does fail, it will be down to Nintendo not getting their support right rather than not getting Battlefield and Assassins Creed.

@zool Waverace would be such an amazing $39 digital download. Just a quick, short, quality game like the N64 version. Something to beat in a single weekend and play occasionally with friends.

Hopefully Nintendo will surprise us with it, because they have already "used up" many of their main franchises (or are in the process of releasing them next year). So they kind of need more stuff for the year 2020 and beyond.

Ubisoft seems to only port games to the Switch that have a 6 month development cycle, e.g. (Rayman, Mario+Rabbids, Just Dance, Monopoly) so no surprise there. Mostly just shovelware from Ubistank. I bet Starlink will be canceled too.

Eh, the writing was on the wall for Steep some time ago. I wasn't interested enough to buy it on other platforms because of the online requirement. I probably would have given it a go on Switch just because it would've needed an off-line mode being portable. I think it would've been a pretty neat game on Switch. But that's about it. I'm not shedding any tears for this one.

We still have South Park Stick of Truth, Trials Rising, Starlink (aka open world StarFox that actually looks good), Child of Light and Valiant Hearts in the near future from Ubisoft, and I expect even more to be announced in the coming months.

@Anti-Matter What you are saying has nothing to do with the Switch video game library. You are obviously stuck in a time dimensional period around the Wii U days. Fix your teleportation system and come back to 2018.

@Tasuki dude chill... Think about it... Ubisoft has released a bunch of games on the switch already, 2 are fully fledged AAA games (one a port one exclusive both sold well) they have announced 2 more critically acclaimed ports due to drop this year and 1 more AAA game with exclusive Nintendo content.

Ubisoft cancelled one 2016 port that isn't even popular on the systems it was released on... Im one to get all nervous about this sort of thing but even i see through this... They are gonna over stretch themselves if they do release this.

@EightBitMan Are you daft? You can't properly put the power of the current console gen into a hand held device, you'll burn your hands off with the heat generated alone! The Switch is a lightning fast mobile device and can output very strong visuals for such a device, but no one in their right mind would expect a hand held device to keep up with current console standards: everything has to be designed much smaller and much more safely for the consumer that is physically holding the computer in their hand.

And if you're suggesting they shouldn't have designed for handhled, they'd be idiots to ignore the popularity of that market in their native country. That Switch is doing so well is testament to its slick design and versatility; its portability especially. The most powerful handheld ever.

If you don't understand this, then you didn't grow up in the days of Game boy, Game gear and Tiger.

@EightBitMan You wrote alot. I hope you feel better. I like that my console is handheld and compromises are made for that to happen - but personally, I play Nintendo games with Nintendo products and have a good time.. and that’s about all there is to my thoughts about Nintendo.... You seem to be pretty worked up over a product from a company.

You really just crafted a verbose argument based in shaming people for enjoying Nintendo's platform(s) . . . on a Nintendo fan site . . . and then backed it with a dated list of citations mostly from nobody YouTubers. 😂

I will say one thing: It's impressive how you managed to stretch this article's reporting to support your nonsense. There are valid Nintendo criticisms, but yours jump the border into "Nintendoom Land".

Regardless, obvious troll is obvious. You don't deserve to be dignified any further. Consider your time might be better spent elsewhere.

@EightBitMan I’ll just say if the Switch was really supposed to compete in the same space as the Xbox One and PS4 I’d agree. It doesn’t though so I have to disagree. I enjoy it for what it is, a powerful handheld game system that can also play games on a TV. (A feature I never use) Next time you want to compare the switch to the other consoles take the other two out with you and play them without your tv. I’m not dying to have the 3rd party games you mention on my Switch, I have an Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and PC for those other games. As the install base continues to grow, more and more games will come. Hardcore gamers would probably always have other game systems in addition to their Nintendo. What’s wrong with buying a Nintendo console to play Nintendo games? I don’t get the hate.

I've liked skiing games in the past so I was excited for this game when it was originally listed for the Switch. I eventually got impatient and bought it for PS4. Unfortunately, I found it quite boring. I think the open world nature really killed it. There was too much wandering around, wondering if I was doing what I was supposed to, and it just didn't have the sense of speed I expected. I hate to see a major 3rd party game cancelled, but I honestly don't think you're missing much in this title.

To the person above me with "What's wrong with buying Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games?" That line of reasoning always annoyed me. Yes, I like Nintendo games, but that doesn't mean I don't want any 3rd party games. It's been ages since a Nintendo console got a good racing game (apart from karting), no Tekken 7 or Mortal Kombat, etc. I didn't really want to buy a PS4, but the selection of games on Switch was just too limited.

Does Steep utilize Ubisofts stupid online service? I wonder if them stopping development has anything to do with Nintendo's service getting ready to go live. Maybe Ubisoft asked them to allow their service as a download and Nintendo said "no thanks".

@Cosats"What you are saying has nothing to do with the Switch video game library. You are obviously stuck in a time dimensional period around the Wii U days. Fix your teleportation system and come back to 2018."

Why not ?Wii like games are not a Bad thing.We already got "Cooking Mama" style game from Waku Waku Sweets (Switch version) yesterday.Btw, i just only assumed if Ubisoft want to revive some Old franchises in HD + better gameplay for Nintendo Switch.

And idiocy like this is why Ubisoft never gets the benefit of the doubt from the Nintendo userbase despite generally supporting Nintendo systems pretty well. Doesn't seem like the game was that great, but still a shame to not see a promised version of it happen. Hey Ubisoft, to make up for this, how about Red Steel 3?

@EightBitMan That's it. Sony has unleashed its army of drones to intensify the smear campain against Nintendo. And as usual it will hurts the sales of all japanese videogames. You want to support the japanese industry? Boycott Sony. They do their best to destroy the japanse industry by turning the industry into a pure battle of marketing budget of games made without any game designer.

On the other hand @Anti-Matter I can’t really tell if your being sarcastic or being funny when you ask for Ubisoft shovelware like the Petz and Imagine series 😂 but honestly yea we def don't need any more of those awful titles right? 😉

Ubi has a good catalogue of IP's and franchises that would sell well, and continue giving the Switch a good image in the gaming community as a a versatile gaming machine, which can can play AAA ports on the go, that the console would benefit from and that are fun to play on the go.

@MaSSiVeRiCaN
I wasn't sarcastic about Petz series / Imagine series from Ubisoft.
Actually, i have interest with those series.
Also, i have Gold's Gym Cardio Workout Wii, The Dog Island Wii, Imagine Boutique Owner NDS, etc & those games were published by Ubisoft.

We had heard about Fit Boxing for Nintendo Switch, developed by same developer as Shape Boxing Wii in Japan / Gold's Gym Cardio Workout Wii USA.
So, my prediction if Ubisoft will publish Fit Boxing for USA / PAL version with different name (Maybe Gold's Gym Cardio Workout 2).

Well, those games are maybe not so Wow as AAA titles, but those games are mostly matched with my taste, Casual gameplay but worthy as Harcdore player.

I don't need AAA Ultra Violence Action games at all.
I just need appropriate games that can be played by Casuals, Kids, Elder, Women and Everyone.

Gutted. I was looking forward to this. I loved SSX tricky and 1080 on the gamecube, I'm a big skiier so love playing those kinds of games! This one would have tied me over till we got something better. Will we get a 1080 snowboarding game? I hope so... is the demand there? Well, one person would would buy it day one...

@NEStalgia my issue is Ubisoft comes up with ideas that I love and then they ruin them(for me) right before release. I love snowboarding (games, I like my legs in one piece, thanks) and I love sword fighting (ok fighting but still) yet I don’t own steep or for honor because of the strings attached. Ill be less annoyed once someone puts a snowboarding game on Switch. I wish the olli olli dev would branch out. Lol

@Ryu_Niiyama Well the problem with Ubisoft games is usually more that there aren't any strings attached. They cut them from the budget. So all the marionette pieces are there, but they don't move and aren't connected because the strings aren't there.

There's so much I love about Steep. The concept and feel and boarding is great. Then you have an open world that makes no sense since all it does is make you walk to start gates. And you can't because you're on a freaking mountain. Then the mountain starts talking to you in your head like an ancient mystical ghost or something and that makes no sense at all, but it's French, so you just go with it. And there's this completely disconnected emptyness about a game about action sports. The Pyeong Chang expansion is short but it just gives you event after event without free roam junk and the sense of of a depressed mountain that you're riding on and feels a lot better. Also, it has skiiing and such added.

It's probably the best snow sports game I've played in many ways....and yet....there's something very wrong about it. Much like Crew 2.